Raising April
by Catalina H
Summary: Don's life is turned upside down when he gets a visitor who hands him a three month old baby and tells him she's his.
1. Dad?

**Disclaimer: I don't own NUMB3RS, it's characters, or anything like that. I'm not making any money off this, no copyright infringement intended, so please don't sue.**

**A/N: This story just sort of popped into my head and I started typing. This story is set about 2nd/3rd season. Anyway, enjoy!**

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Chapter 1 - Dad?

Don was sitting at his desk, checking his email. It had been an uneventful morning so far. They didn't have a new case, and for once they were actually caught up on their paperwork.

"Excuse me."

Don looked up when he heard the tentative voice. Its owner was a young dark haired teenage girl holding a baby and carrying both a backpack and a diaper bag.

"Can I help you?" Don questioned, standing to face the girl.

"Are you Don Eppes?" she asked brusquely.

He nodded. "Yes."

"Veronica Hanson," she introduced herself, shifting the baby to her other arm so she could extend her hand to him in greeting.

"Nice to meet you Veronica," Don replied politely, shaking her hand.

"Roni," she corrected.

Don smiled a little. "OK, Roni. So, what can I do for you?"

"I think you might know my mother, Jennifer Hanson," Roni started cautiously.

"Oh, yeah, I know Jennifer," Don agreed, recognizing the name. "I haven't seen her in about a year though. How's she doing?"

"She's fine," Roni answered dismissively. "You two dated, right?" she asked hastily.

Don raised an eyebrow at the teenager's tone, but slowly nodded. "Yeah...We dated for about a month. Why?" he asked, curiously.

Roni took a deep breath. "Well, _this_," she started, nodding to the baby in her arms, "is my little sister April. She's your daughter," Roni told him bluntly.

Don's eyes widened slightly. "What?" he questioned shortly.

Roni sighed and handed April to him, ignoring his protests of holding the baby.

"Wait a sec-" Don started, but Roni cut him off after pulling a piece of paper out of the diaper bag.

"This is April's birth certificate," she stated tersely. "According to this you're her father."

Don glanced down at the content looking dark haired baby girl in his arms and back up at Roni. He opened his mouth to say something else, but once again she didn't give him the chance.

"Look, Mom took off this morning," Roni told him. "I woke up, and she was gone. No note, no nothing. April was still in her crib, everything else was just like normal except Mom and all of her stuff were gone," she continued calmly. "Now, I love my sister, but I'm fourteen, I can't take care of her. You're her father."

Don's mouth had dropped open slightly during Roni's explanation, and now he was in a state of shock. Unfortunately, Roni wasn't giving him much time to get past that.

"Here's all of her stuff, I put her birth certificate, medical records, all that stuff in here too," she informed him, setting the diaper bag on his desk. "Now I gotta go to school. Bye April, I love you," she whispered to the baby, giving her a kiss on the forehead. "Take care of my sister, OK?" Roni told him firmly before turning to leave.

Snapping out of his shock for a moment, Don went after her.

"Hang on a second," he called after Roni, who glanced back but didn't stop walking. "You can't just come in here and hand me a kid, telling me it's mine."

Roni rolled her eyes. "You _are_ her father, just look at the birth certificate. If you don't believe that then get a paternity test," she retorted. "And she's not an _it_, she's a baby girl. But she's your daughter, and since Mom decided to quit the parent gig, it falls to you to be her parent."

Don grabbed Roni's arm in annoyance to stop her from getting on the elevator. "Look, just because I _may_ be this kid's dad doesn't mean you can just walk in here and hand her to me and expect me to automatically be a parent," he snapped, though not as harshly as he normally would because of the baby still in his arm. Roni opened her mouth to protest, but Don continued before she got the chance. "No, listen. If, _if_ I am her father," he started firmly, but calmer. "There are ways to do this, OK? But this isn't one of them."

"Hey Donnie."

Don glanced over, with a pang of unease, at his father who had just stepped off the elevator. Roni too was looking at Alan, having followed Don's gaze.

"Hello," Alan greeted politely to Roni, but then turned to the baby in Don's arm. "And who is this?" he asked sweetly.

"That's April," Roni answered with a smile that Don didn't like one bit. "Is this _your_ dad?" she asked Don, who sighed.

"Yes," he answered slowly, with a warning laced in his tone that he hoped Alan wouldn't catch but Roni would.

Roni did catch it, but smirked and turned to Alan anyway. "Hi, Veronica Hanson, but you can call me Roni," she introduced herself, shaking Alan's hand.

"Nice to meet you Roni," Alan replied, looking slightly confused.

"April is your granddaughter, I was just dropping her off with Don," Roni told him.

Don closed his eyes in apprehension. He was still in shock, and the fact that his father now knew that April might be his wasn't helping him any.

"Don has a daughter?" Alan repeated in slight disbelief.

Don opened his eyes warily to see Roni nod.

"Yeah, apparently he dated my mom about a year ago, and well, three months ago April came along," she answered.

Alan gave Don an incredulous look, but Don tried to ignore it.

"Roni-" Don started, trying yet again to protest what she was doing, but she ignored him.

"Well, I need to get to school, I'm late enough as it is," she muttered. "See ya," she waved, getting onto the elevator. "And I meant what I said, Don," Roni called before the doors shut. "Take care of my sister."

And then the elevator doors shut and Roni was gone, leaving a still shocked Don staring at the spot where she had been, with April still contently resting in his arms, and Alan watching his son with astonishment.

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**A/N: Well, I hope you liked the first chapter! I'll try to upload the second one soon. As always, reviews are greatly appreciated!**


	2. Congratulations?

**A/N: OK, I know this chapter is short, but the next one is long so it kinda makes up for it. Btw, with some of the legalities in this story, I might make mistakes. If I do, you're more than welcome to point them out to me. I don't pretend I know this stuff, I'm just guessing. Anyway, enjoy!**

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Chapter 2 - Congratulations?

"How could you have a kid and not tell me about it?" Alan asked incredulously.

"Dad," Don sighed, grabbing the stack of papers out of the diaper bag. "I'm not even sure if she _is_ mine," he retorted. "And _if _she is, this is the first I've ever heard of it."

"Well, according to this, you are her father," Alan pointed out seriously, holding up the birth certificate.

Don sighed again, but didn't get a chance to reply because at that moment Megan, David, and Colby came over.

"Aw, who's the baby?" Megan cooed, moving to get a closer look of April. Don rolled his eyes, which Megan caught. "Can I hold her?" she questioned, sounding slightly amused at Don's obvious discomfort. Don rolled his eyes again, but nodded and handed April to her.

"Apparently she's Don's daughter," Alan said, answering Megan's first question for his son, seeing Don was about to try to challenge that point again.

David and Colby both raised their eyebrows.

"I didn't know you had a kid man," David commented in surprise.

"Me either," Colby added, just as stunned.

"I don't know if I do," Don corrected exasperatedly.

"Donnie," Alan sighed. "The birth certificate says your her father."

"Oh, so I'm just supposed to believe a piece of paper, and take a fourteen year old's word that this baby is mine?" Don retorted heatedly.

"I hate to be the one to point this out, Don," Megan started cautiously. "But she does have your eyes," she told him, looking at the baby in her arms.

Don sighed, running a hand over his face as he sat down in his chair.

"She looks a lot like you did as a baby," Alan added softly.

"So...are congratulations in order?" Colby asked apprehensively, earning a scowl from Don. "OK." Colby held his hands up in a sign of surrender. "Never mind." Don turned back to his desk, and Colby and David smirked at each other.

"What are you doing?" Alan questioned curiously when he noticed Don pick up the phone.

"Calling Social Services," Don answered simply.

"What?" Alan snapped incredulously. Even Megan was looking at him curiously, though she wasn't seeming as disbelieving as Alan.

"Well, for one, I'm not going to be convinced by a fourteen year old and a piece of paper that that baby is mine. And secondly, Roni said her mom wasn't there when she woke up and all of her stuff was gone. If that's the case, then she abandoned her kids, and Social Services needs to know," Don replied calmly.

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**A/N: Well, I hope you liked that chapter! I'm almost done with the next one, but like I said, it's long. I should have it up tonight, or tomorrow at the latest. And as always, reviews are greatly appreciated! They make me happy. :)**


	3. What now?

**Review Replies:**

**Lydia - You're right, they couldn't. And while I agree I probably should've put that someone escorted her, that doesn't mean she didn't go through security and have to state her name and business to get a visitor's badge, because any visitor entering a federal building would have to go through security and get a visitor's badge. Thanks for the review! I appreciate the concern about me getting it right. :)**

**Dakota - True, under normal circumstances Alan would probably not have said anything. But then again he was sort of in shock about finding out he might have a grandkid, and people sometimes do things they wouldn't normally do when they're in shock. Plus, the team is like a family, and Don would've had to tell them eventually anyway. Or at least that's my understanding. Thanks for the review! I like people pointing things like that out to me. :)**

**A/N: OK, I know I said this chapter would be longer, and it would've, but I decided it to split it into two chapters. And like I said before, feel free to point out any mistakes I may make with legalities and such. Anyway, enjoy!**

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Chapter 3 - What now?

"Agent Eppes?"

"Yeah?" Don replied, turning to face the woman.

"Carla Benson," she introduced herself, shaking his hand. "We spoke on the phone."

Don nodded. "Right."

"I take it this is April?" Mrs. Benson questioned lightly, looking at April, who Megan was holding once again, after she'd forced Don to hold her for a while.

"Yeah."

"Right. Why don't we talk somewhere a little more private?" Mrs. Benson suggested.

"Sure," Don nodded. "We can talk in there," he said, pointing to an empty conference room.

"And you have all the paperwork?" she confirmed. Don nodded, holding up the stack of papers Roni had put in the diaper bag. "Good." She walked over to Megan, smiling slightly. "You mind?" she questioned lightly, holding out her arms to take April. Megan shook her head, smiling a little back, and carefully handed April over to the social worker. "OK, then. Shall we?"

Don nodded and started to follow her into the conference room, but Alan grabbed his arm.

"Are you sure about this?" Alan asked quietly.

Don took a calming breath. "Yes," he said firmly, and went into the conference room where Mrs. Benson was already setting up.

Alan sighed as he watched Don close the door behind him.

"He's right, you know," Megan said softly, placing a comforting hand on the older man's arm. "Even if he is April's father, he can't just take her, it doesn't work like that. And Social Services would be involved anyway, if Roni was right and her mom did just abandon them." Alan nodded slightly, but still didn't look too thrilled with the idea. Megan gave him a warm smile. "It'll all work out," she assured him. He smiled back.

-0-

"Well, it does seem like everything fits," Mrs. Benson said after a few minutes of talking to Don and looking over the papers Roni had given him. "I guess congratulations are in order."

"What? That's it?" Don exclaimed, shocked.

Mrs. Benson grinned slightly. "Look, Agent Eppes, we can do a paternity test if that would make you feel better." Don nodded quickly. "But-" she continued seriously. "On paper, you are April's father. Unless you gave up your parental rights, then I see no reason to keep you from taking care of your daughter."

Don sighed, placing his head in his hands, leaning his elbows on his knees.

Mrs. Benson took a deep breath. "Agent Eppes," she started gently. "I understand that this is probably a big shock for you, it would be for just about anyone. But Jennifer Hanson is _gone_, it's like she disappeared. It's up to you to be April's father now," she told him as softly as possible, but still blunt.

Don slowly looked up at her, then at the baby in her lap, who was staring back at him.

"What about Roni?" he finally asked quietly and slowly after a couple minutes, starting to come out of his shock, for the moment at least.

Mrs. Benson sighed. "Someone from my office should be picking her up from school soon," she commented, glancing at her watch. "But, I looked into her records before I came over, it doesn't look good so far," she admitted heavily. "Her father's not listed, her mother's family is either deceased or refuses to have anything to do with her, apparently Ms. Hanson was not in good standing with her family."

"So what does that mean?" Don questioned, even though he had an idea.

"Well, I'll have to talk to Roni first, but unless there's a friend or someone willing to take her, she'll have to go into foster care," Mrs. Benson answered sadly. Don nodded heavily. "I hope you don't mind that I asked them to bring her by here," Mrs. Benson added lightly. "I figured she might be able to shed some light on the situation," she explained.

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**A/N: Well, I hope you liked that chapter! The next one should be up soon, tonight at the latest. And, of course, reviews are greatly appreciated! I love getting feedback. :)**


	4. Explanation?

**A/N: Yay, longer chapter. :) Enjoy!**

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Chapter 4 - Explanation?

"It's Roni, right?" Mrs. Benson started after they'd all sat down in the conference room. Roni nodded. "OK, Roni, why don't you tell me what happened this morning."

"He's taking April, right?" Roni questioned, ignoring the social worker's request. She was looking at Don, who was holding April, who was smiling at her sister.

Don sighed, glancing back down at the baby in his lap, but didn't say anything.

Mrs. Benson kept looking at Roni though. "Yes. He's her father, there's no reason he shouldn't be able to take custody of her," she told the teenager patiently.

Roni nodded. "Good."

Don looked up at her curiously. Mrs. Benson seemed to be thinking along those same lines as well, but didn't push it for the moment.

"So, do you mind telling me what happened this morning?" Mrs. Benson asked Roni again.

"I woke up to get ready for school, but I heard April crying. When I went to check on her, I noticed Mom's stuff was gone. When I looked around the apartment Mom wasn't there either. I went down to see if her car was still there, but it was gone too. So, I guess she took off during the night or something," Roni answered.

Don and Mrs. Benson shared a quick glance.

Mrs. Benson sighed. "I talked to some of your neighbors, and they said they thought your mother might be suffering from postpartum depression," she started slowly. "Is that true?"

Roni shrugged. "I guess."

Mrs. Benson nodded, adding something to her notes. "So what did you do after you realized your mother was gone?" she continued, looking back up at Roni.

"Well, I had to take care of April, feed her. Then I got ready for school."

"And after that?" Mrs. Benson pushed.

Roni sighed. "Then, I started looking for April's birth certificate."

"So you were going to hand her over to me, just like that?" Don asked incredulously.

Roni rolled her eyes. "No, not just like that," she retorted defensively. "I care about my sister more than that!"

"OK, so what _was_ your plan?" Mrs. Benson interrupted, shooting a warning look at both Don and Roni.

Roni took a deep breath, looking down at her hands. "I don't know," she admitted quietly. "I just figured that she should be with her dad."

Don sighed. "How did you even find me?" he asked.

"Well, I got your name off the birth certificate, then I got on the internet and did a search." Don chuckled a little, but Roni continued. "When I found information on you, I thought you might be the one I was looking for, it all seemed to fit. It's not like Mom told me much about you, but I figured it was worth a shot anyway."

"So why didn't you just call the police?" Mrs. Benson asked. Roni looked up at her. "They would've contacted us and we could've found him for you."

"Yeah, but I wanted to be sure," Roni said. "I didn't want her to get stuck in foster care while you guys might not have tried very hard."

Don couldn't stop the small smirk that spread across his face. Mrs. Benson was scowling though.

"We try to keep kids with their families," she said firmly through gritted teeth, looking at Roni sternly. Roni shrugged, but didn't argue. Mrs. Benson sighed, running a hand over her face. "OK, Roni. I looked into your records to try to find a family member for you to stay with," she started. Roni scoffed. "Yes, I didn't have much luck with that," Mrs. Benson admitted. "Is there anyone you could stay with?" she asked hopefully.

Roni shrugged. "Mom's family disowned her when she had me because she was so young and didn't go to college because she had to work to support me. I've never even met any of them."

"What about your father?" Mrs. Benson questioned.

Roni shook her head. "I don't know who he is. Mom wouldn't tell me. She just said he didn't want to be a father."

Don looked down at April. He realized now why Roni hadn't given him a chance to argue about taking April, she hadn't wanted him to say he didn't want to be a father either. He sighed. Did he want to be a father? It wasn't like he had a choice anymore. He couldn't exactly give up his kid, and it seemed that was what Roni had been banking on.

"Did your mother have any friends, or someone like that, that would be willing to take you?" Mrs. Benson inquired.

Roni just shrugged. "Mom didn't really have many friends. At least not that I knew about."

"Will you excuse us for a minute?" Mrs. Benson said abruptly to Roni after a few minutes of silence.

Don looked up and saw the social worker motioning for him to come outside with her. He nodded, and stood to follow her.

"You mind?" he asked Roni tentatively, gesturing to April.

Roni chuckled, shaking her head. "Not at all," she agreed, taking the baby out of his arms.

Don then followed Mrs. Benson out of the conference room, and she shut the door behind them.

"What's up?" Don questioned, wondering why she looked apprehensive.

Mrs. Benson took a deep breath. "I like to keep families together," she said straightforwardly.

Don looked confused for a second until he realized what she was talking about. "Whoa, wait a second. You're not seriously suggesting what I think you are," he said in disbelief.

Mrs. Benson sighed. "Of course, it would be up to you," she assured him quickly. "But think about it," she started firmly. "They're sisters, and I don't like separating families. Besides, look at them." Don reluctantly looked in the conference room where Roni was playing with April. "She's good with her sister, and she obviously knows how to take care of her."

Don looked back at her curiously. "What exactly are you saying?" he asked slowly.

"Well, you're a new father who hasn't been around kids much, she could help you adjust to taking care of April. This way they could stay together and you wouldn't have to do this alone," Mrs. Benson suggested carefully. Don sighed, running a hand over his face. "There shouldn't be a problem with you getting approved to be her foster parent."

Don looked at the social worker, who felt like she might shrink under his intense gaze.

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**A/N: Well, I hope you liked that chapter! I have classes all day tomorrow so I probably won't be able to update until tomorrow night or the next day. I'll have it up as soon as I can though. And as always, reviews are greatly appreciated! :)**


	5. Are you serious?

**A/N: I'm sorry it took me so long to update! I was busier than I thought I'd be, and I've had a horrible headache lately. Plus this chapter was harder to write for some reason. But it's finally here! Anyway, enjoy!**

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Chapter 5 - Are you serious?

Don was standing at the door to the conference room, just watching Roni and April through the glass. He had almost gone in a few times, but he still had no clue what to say. The shock and the urge to vomit had not worn off since that morning when Roni had handed the baby to him and told him April was his daughter.

"Hey," Alan greeted softly, walking up next to his son.

Don glanced over at his father slowly. "Hey," he replied quietly.

Alan saw the anxiety in Don's eyes, but could tell his son was trying to hide it. "Where's Mrs. Benson?" he questioned.

Don sighed, turning his gaze back into the conference room. "Getting the paperwork started," he answered tiredly.

"So?" Alan asked gently, unable to curb his curiosity but trying to be as gentle as possible.

When Don didn't answer right away, Alan just waited, knowing Don would tell him in his own time.

Finally, Don took a deep breath and said, "Well, I guess now you can stop hassling me about grandkids."

Alan smiled. Even though he knew Don was struggling with this new development, he was still happy that he had a grandchild. "You'll be a good father, Donnie," he said reassuringly.

Don threw him a slightly doubtful look, but didn't comment.

"So what happens to Roni?" Alan finally asked, curious.

Don wanted to smirk, but the shock was still too raw. But he couldn't keep the mirth out of his eyes when he looked over at his father. "How do you feel about teenage girls?" Don questioned lightly.

Alan quirked an eyebrow. "What do you mean?" he asked slowly, suspicious.

Don ran a hand over his face, taking a breath as he tried to figure out how to explain it to his father. "Jennifer's family refuses to have anything to do with Roni," he started. "Apparently they disowned Jennifer because she was so young when she had Roni, and decided to keep her instead of going to college."

Alan shook his head sadly, glancing at the teenager in the conference room. "So, I assume that means they won't take her in?" he sighed, looking back at Don. Don shook his head. "So...who _is _going to take her in?" Alan questioned, a little pointedly.

When Don wouldn't meet his eyes, Alan had his answer.

"Donnie," Alan sighed tiredly. "While I think it's commendable, you can't seriously be considering taking responsibility for a fourteen year old girl along with a three month old baby. I mean I know it's been a while since I took care of a baby myself, or a teenager for that matter, but I still remember how hard it was."

Don sighed. "They're sisters," he said, turning to face Alan. "Look at how much Roni's already gone through to make sure April's taken care of. She goes into foster care, and she might not get to see her sister again for a long time."

"You wouldn't let that happen," Alan pointed out quietly.

Don didn't say anything, but turned back to looking into the conference room. Alan sighed resignedly, following Don's gaze and watched the teenager interact with her baby sister.

"Are you sure about this?" Alan asked softly.

Don sighed. "I'm not sure about any of this," he admitted, his voice barely audible.

Alan put a comforting hand on Don's shoulder. "You're not in this alone, you know," he assured him.

Don looked over at his father. Not knowing what to say, he just gave a terse nod. Alan smiled warmly, knowing Don wasn't good with showing emotions, especially when in shock like now, and that that nod was the best he was going to get.

"Am I interrupting?" Mrs. Benson asked gently, coming over to the pair.

"I'll let you two talk," Alan said. And with a final reassuring smile at Don left the two.

Once Alan was out of hearing range, Don turned to Mrs. Benson. "So?" he questioned bracingly.

The social worker smiled. "Everything's all set," she informed him.

Don nodded, but didn't say anything since his throat had constricted with overwhelming nausea.

Mrs. Benson smiled at him. "Don't worry Agent Eppes, I think you'll be fine," she said reassuringly.

Don threw a skeptical look at her, but didn't comment. "So, when are you going to tell Roni?" he asked.

"Oh I'm not," Mrs. Benson replied lightly. Don looked at her curiously, and suspiciously. "I thought it might be better if you told her," she elaborated hesitantly.

-0-

When Don walked into the conference room April looked up and smiled at him, causing Don to stop in his tracks.

"I think she already knows who you are," Roni told him with a small smile. Don looked at her questioningly, and Roni nearly laughed at his anxious expression. Smirking, she told him, in an only slightly teasing manner, "Don't worry, that's a good thing."

Don threw her a look of mock exasperation at her tone, but slowly continued walking over and sat down next to them.

Roni seemed to know why he was there, as her features turned serious. Looking down at April, who looked completely content and oblivious playing with one of her toys, Roni quietly asked, "So, that social worker lady found a place for me to stay yet?"

Even though he could tell she was trying to hide it, Don heard the dejected air about her tone.

"Yeah," he answered simply.

Roni took a deep breath. "So when do I leave?"

"As soon as I figure out where I'm going to get a car seat for her," Don replied after taking a breath, motioning to April.

"What?" Roni looked up at him, confusion written on her face as well as being audible in her voice.

"Well," Don started slowly. "Now, it's up to you," he inserted hastily, causing Roni to seem even more bewildered, and suspicious. "But Mrs. Benson talked to a judge, and, if you want,...you can stay with me," he finished apprehensively.

Roni watched him curiously for a few minutes. "You're not my father," she finally stated simply, her voice almost a whisper.

Don took a breath as he nodded. "Yeah, I know that," he agreed softly. "But, this way you and April get to stay together."

Roni looked down at her sister, who had stopped playing and was looking back and forth between Don and Roni. After a minute Roni sighed and, still looking at April, quietly said, "Mom left her car seat back at the apartment."

Don smiled a little. "What do you say we go get it?" he suggested lightly.

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**A/N: Well, I hope you liked that chapter! Hopefully the next update won't take me so long. But I do have a lot of homework this week. I'll try to have the next chapter up as soon as I can though! And as always, I greatly appreciate reviews! :)**


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